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Worst US States / Countries for supercharging?

Discussion in 'Supercharging & Charging Infrastructure' started by JetFalcon, Sep 11, 2020.

  1. JetFalcon

    JetFalcon Member

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    Want to figure out what are the worst states or countries to do a road trip with a Tesla Model 3.

    I live in SoCal so there are plenty of supercharging. But I don't use them very often since driving from OC (Lake Forest) to LA roundtrip won't require a supercharge when starting out full charge, and most my commutes are usually shorter. The only times I may have to supercharge for a day trip (roundtrip) are OC to Santa Barbara, or OC to San Diego.

    I feel Las Vegas is one of the easiest road trip routes to supercharge. And there are free charging stations at hotels so if you drive around, you may have a chance to charge up at a free level 2. Feels like there are more options when doing road trips when going OC to Las Vegas.

    But for Phoenix AZ, it was kinda a pain in the ass. There's like only 3 supercharging spots in the entire Phoenix area in outta the way areas. Just didn't feel supercharging was "on the way" and this is a state you really must plan your commute, and very likely you will have to go 10-20 min outta your way to supercharger. Arizona seems like a state that seems ICE dominated, gas is cheap there like $2.15 so I guess there is little incentive for people here to drive Teslas.

    Just wondering which states are the worst to supercharge in when that is going to be your main option?
     
  2. M109Rider

    M109Rider Active Member

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    I think there are gaps here and there that will eventually get filled in the US.
    I’ve travelled quite a bit across the US (before COVID), and had zero issues finding a charge anywhere though.

    In Canada, there are a few more gaps for sure, but the main areas are covered pretty well also. I’ve driven across Canada also, and only a few northern locations could use a little help.

    I think if you live in any decent size city, you won’t have any issues finding electrons at all.
     
  3. Knightshade

    Knightshade Well-Known Member

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    For basically forever it was North Dakota. The only state that had no superchargers.

    But there's 4 across the state on the I-94 corridor now.... you can see the whole map here

    supercharge.info
     
    • Helpful x 1
  4. SomeJoe7777

    SomeJoe7777 Marginally-Known Member

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    Arkansas is pretty bad, there's only 3 in the entire state, and two of them are way up in the northwest corner.

    Wyoming can be difficult up around the Yellowstone National Park area, there is only one supercharger there and it's not in the park itself.
     
  5. Webeevdrivers

    Webeevdrivers Active Member

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    Canada has decent trans Canada highway coverage and cross country Canada trips seem possible. In BC you are okay on the main corridor but off of that you go back to Chademo. There are roughly 10 times as many Chademo locations in BC as Tesla Supercharger locations. Chademo/CCS infrastructure buildout is also faster than Superchargers. But I kinda get that. We are no where near a major market for Tesla.

    cheers.
     
  6. MarcoRP

    MarcoRP @MontrealTesla

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    Alaska
     
    • Like x 3
  7. jkirkwood001

    jkirkwood001 Supporting Member

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    Although you can use the Superchargers in Mexico, there are none in the NW, only Destination Chargers.

    The bigger issue is that our LTE is incompatible. This means you can't notify Tesla to come and fix your car or change a flat. You also lose map updates, search without address, and audio streaming and web. I considered it too risky when I road-tripped 7,800 miles from Ottawa, Canada > Mexico > California > home last year. Oh that, and I also found out my insurance didn't cover Mexico. :rolleyes:
     
  8. Rocky_H

    Rocky_H Well-Known Member

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    On these questions, I am still going to bring up the Bermuda Triangle that is a gigantic gaping hole in Supercharger coverage. It's the area at the intersection of Oregon, Idaho, and Nevada. Tesla went exclusively for interstate highways, so this area which is served by U.S. federal highways instead has really long stretches that are the only path through and have no Superchargers. Boise to Bend, OR is over 300 miles with still no Superchargers. (There are a couple finally in progress there now) Boise to Winnemucca, NV is over 200 miles and is extremely tight, and that is on the one main route from the San Fran bay area to Boise.

    But yes, the I-40 area in Arkansas is also still quite a problem.

    Also, if you're trying to go anywhere off of the main trans-Canada highway it gets difficult fast.
     
    • Informative x 2
    • Like x 2
  9. Silicon Desert

    Silicon Desert Active Member

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    #9 Silicon Desert, Sep 11, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2020
    Amen on all that. I avoid I40 East / West route because of the long stretch where I can't supercharge. Tesla has been indicating chargers going along that route for over 3 years without progress.

    And 395 North of Reno is a heavily travelled route without much support. Don't know if you consider that to be part of your triangle or not, but I look forward to installation of a couple planned SCs on that route.
     
  10. Rocky_H

    Rocky_H Well-Known Member

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    Oh yeah--I haven't had need to use 395, so I didn't think of it, but it's in that same hole, and I do remember a lot of other people being bothered with lack of coverage there too.
     
  11. Copterguy

    Copterguy Member

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    Zero on any Hawaiian island. However, probably no need. ;)
     
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  12. Watts_Up

    Watts_Up Active Member

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    #12 Watts_Up, Sep 11, 2020
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2020
  13. jkirkwood001

    jkirkwood001 Supporting Member

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    I think it's worth mentioning every time someone suggests road trips in a Tesla are "risky", all you need is a wall plug and some time. There are many, many more wall plugs than gas stations around the world. Every weekend I drive to our cottage, use an extension cord to plug in to the cottage's 110V wall jack, and charge it from Friday night through Sunday morning - ta-da! = 90% charged Tesla for the ride home, even in -30° C winter weather.
     
    • Like x 2
  14. Rocky_H

    Rocky_H Well-Known Member

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    These are kind of talking about two different things. The example you are talking about is overnight. Sure, if people are overnight, there are options. But the point of this thread is about getting somewhere, not overnight charging.

    And I know if you want to go extreme, and it's just for the adventure, sure, it is technically possible to go basically anywhere if you have unlimited patience for veeeery long delays. When I first had my car, I went from Boise to Salt Lake City and back. The return trip took 14 hours for what is normally a 5 hour drive. That's not tolerable to most people.
     
    • Like x 1
  15. shan2shan

    shan2shan Member

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    Beg to differ. Huge need. Many people in Hawaii drive many many miles to and from/work. 60 miles roundtrip daily commute can be the low end. The lack of supercharging here is insane! Then again, our electricity does mostly get generated from burning oil and garbage so...

    Also, a nod to the title of this thread which is a bit different than the original question being asked. Hawaii is inherently the worst state for supercharging since we have none. But then again no one is taking a road trip to get here.
     
    • Like x 2
  16. jkirkwood001

    jkirkwood001 Supporting Member

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    Agreed, but it's not "gambling" as OP said, or impossible to go certain places, as others say. It's just a pain in the a$$ if you are in a rush.
     
    • Like x 1
  17. MyJoule

    MyJoule Member

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    I agree on the hole in NV for distance trips, but remember for the most part, Supercharging is for road trips, so the PHX example is a poor one if you ask me. We road trip frequently, and use Supercharging for that, otherwise, we charge at home. That is the paradigm shift that is often missed by both non-EV folks and new EV folks. Just plug it in at home- and if your commute is more than you can do from a home charger, maybe you need to rethink owning an EV.
     
    • Like x 2
  18. Rocky_H

    Rocky_H Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I pretty much roll my eyes at these kinds of examples where a city has multiple Superchargers, and someone feels it's "out of the way" to use them. I just can't take those seriously in these kinds of threads where people are talking about routes that are 250+ miles with zero Superchargers.
     
    • Like x 2
  19. thx1139

    thx1139 Member

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    Lemont, IL
    Have to agree. Coming and going from the North (Chicago, St. Louis, etc.) you have to detour to east side of Memphis which is 27 miles out of the way times 2 because you then need to head back to Arkansas. So that is nearly an hour of driving and then the charge time which must include the 54 miles wasted going to and from the charger. Amazes me that the Forest City and/or the Blytheville Superchargers have not been built. This is stopping my sister from getting a Tesla. She lives in Little Rock and travels to visit us in Chicago and surrounding area all the time.
     
  20. ElectricIAC

    ElectricIAC Devil’s Advocate

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    DFW
    DFW metro needs more superchargers. And no more junk urban chargers. V3 only.

    Texas in general could use more superchargers I feel but I wanna say Arkansas is very much so devoid of well spaced superchargers.

    What I have a bigger issue with is ones that are a pain in the ass to get in and out of or may be behind a paywall.
     

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